Spur Thigh Tortoise

[Mr.Tortoise95]

Caught my spur thigh tortoise eating his poop the other day. His mouth has been brown every since.....i think he is doing it often because i cleaned it off his mouth and was there the next day. Is this normal? He always has hay in his enclosure andi feed him different greens everyday.

 

[qixer01]

Very smooth shell. you must be doing something right. Eating there poop is "normal" so to say. Some say they are missing something in there diet. some say they do it cause they r board. None of my sulcatas have eat there poop that I have noticed. Try to make an effort to remove it as soon as you can. That may help.

 

[wellington]

It is normal for them to eat their poop. Some say they probably eat poop as hatchlings in the wild while down under in their nest. Not really sure if they should be allowed to eat it, most say no. So, when you can, pick it up, but don't worry about what he does get before you get it. Just keep in mind, they will also eat other animal poop. That should not be allowed.

 

[Vegasarah]

It is normal for them to eat their poop. Some say they probably eat poop as hatchlings in the wild while down under in their nest. Not really sure if they should be allowed to eat it, most say no. So, when you can, pick it up, but don't worry about what he does get before you get it. Just keep in mind, they will also eat other animal poop. That should not be allowed.

Yeah, Squirt was cruising around in the back yard and made a bee-line to a piece of my dog's poop in the yard! Luckily I stopped him way before he got to it but all I could think of was "ewwwww! Gross!"... funny enough, my blue tongue skink does the same stupid thing if I ever miss a bit of dog poo in the yard he goes straight for it like a crazy lizard. Ugh. So nasty.

 

[Tom]

It is normal and it is fine. Eating feces from their mother or other tortoises in the area is how they seed their intestinal tract with the necessary flora and fauna. Some animals like rats and rabbits NEED to eat their feces as part of the normal digestion process. They are called hind gut digesters. They have to process the food through the hind gut and then eat their "night pellets" to extract the nutrients. Some speculate that tortoises use a similar process although their anatomy is different. More nutrients can be extracted the second time through.

In the wild, fecal matter makes up a large portion of a leopard tortoises diet. I would not be surprised to find out it was similar for other species too, if studies were to somehow be conducted.

 

[DeanS]

I've got three juveniles that eat not only each other's poop...but my dogs' as well! The results? All pyramiding had ceased and desisted and their growth exploded! I'm of the opinion that tortoises may need a little more protein than originally thought...as long as they get a lot of water too!

 

[Mr.Tortoise95]

Wow thanks a lot i was not expecting so much info.

 

[Mr.Tortoise95]

And yeah he does the same thing when i dont pick up dog poop....goes straight for it like he already knew it was there lol

 

[Yvonne G]

Just to clear it all up for anyone who reads this thread:

Spur Thigh - A Greek tortoise
African spurred tortoise - An african sulcata

 

[baron101]

thats normal

 

[Mr.Tortoise95]

Ohhh sorry i didnt know greek tortoise was also called spur thigh....

 

[Yvonne G]

Ohhh sorry i didnt know greek tortoise was also called spur thigh....

No, not 'ALSO' If you say "spur thigh," you are referring to a Greek tortoise. A sulcata is NOT called a spur thigh. A sulcata is a spurred tortoise.

 

[Mr.Tortoise95]

Umm he has spurs on his thighs. How do you explain this... http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_spurred_tortoise

"african spurred tortoise also know as african spur thigh tortoise"

 

[Yvonne G]

What can I say...its Wikipedia!

 

[Mr.Tortoise95]

http://www.sulcata-station.org/

"known as african spurred tortoise, african spur thigh tortoise, various other names"

This isnt wikipedia what you got to say bout that?

 

[MooingTricycle]

Umm he has spurs on his thighs. How do you explain this... http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_spurred_tortoise

"african spurred tortoise also know as african spur thigh tortoise"

The number after that lower case statement has a reference link, that is why its even there. It does not make it true, it was just a common name reference that is not really fact. Thats how Wiki works.

---

Common Names are very easily mistaken forms of identifying a species, its generally better to refer to latin names, as those are much much more universal, overall. ( Within the scientific community, though, there may be a few hardline oldtimers that dont enjoy taxonomic changes... heehee)

 

[JoesMum]

Mr.Tortoise95 please don't get upset

You are among experienced keepers. The Sulcata may be called a spur thigh by some, but commonly it is known as African Spurred or Sulcata.

Tortoise keepers world wide assume a spur thigh to be a Testudo Greek tortoise... It sure makes life simpler to be able to quickly distinguish the two on here as their care is very different.

 

[Mr.Tortoise95]

Ok thank you for explaning people was telling me it cant be called an african spur thigh.... Didnt make since.... i will make it more clear next time and just call him a sulcata.

 

[JoesMum]

Ok thank you for explaning people was telling me it cant be called an african spur thigh.... Didnt make since.... i will make it more clear next time and just call him a sulcata.

And both Sulcatas and Greeks eat their poop!

 

[jaizei]

While it may not have been 'correct' at one time, I think 'African spur thigh tortoise' has become an acceptable common name for a sulcata.

But sulcata is easier and less confusing.